The goal of this project was to create a fully automated chess playing robot by applying code to a FRANKA Panda arm. The project was written in Python and ROS was used to interface with FRANKA.

Open source code is used for the chess A.I., giving the robot the ability to calculate the best next move. Open Computer Vision libraries is used to process images of the board. This allows the robot to understand what the opponent’s last move was. A virtual chess clock allows the user to finish their move, alerting FRANKA to calculate the next move. Custom built motion planning is used to create a path for FRANKA to follow and control the grippers. A smooth trapeziem velocity profile was applied, making the motion controlled, natural, and reliable. A manual calibration process was used to send accurate and precise coordinates to FRANKA.

Future improvements to the project could include a final implementation of automated calibration as well as a smoother, more continous trajectory. Additionally, the final implementation of the chess clock is yet to be completed. Overall, the main aims of this project were successfully achieved. A game of chess could be played between human and robot.